British Transport Police (BTP) are Cracking down on motorists who blatantly run the red lights at a level crossing in Berkshire that was the scene of a fatal accident in March this year (LXinfo April 2010) and also one in 2008. The Waterloo Road level crossing in Wokingham sees, according to BTP, around 30 motorists run the red lights during a rush hour.

BTP sources say that the objective is to ticket all those who are caught running the red lights in anticipation that they will be appropriately fined, have their driving licenses endorsed and in some cases sent on a drivers’ education programme.

There are aspirations to construct a new road and eliminate this level crossing. However, the funding to permit this has not, at present, been secured.

(June 23rd, 2010)

ILCAD 2010 sponsors, source UIC

The first worldwide International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) held on June 22nd, 2010, has been hailed a great success with action taken in 45 countries around the world. The core message in each country was the same – “Act Safely at Level Crossings”.

• Herman de Croo, Chair of European Transport Safety Council and former Belgian Transport Minister
• Anders Lundström, Head of the European Railway Agency Safety Unit, Ines Ayala Sender, Deputy at the European Parliament
• Eva Molnar, Director, Division of Transport at UN-ECE
• Alan Davies, Chairman of European Level Crossing Forum (founded by the editor of LXinfo in 2005 as the European Level Crossing Research Forum)
• Mr. Luc Vansteenkiste, Director General of Belgium’s national rail infrastructure manager, Infrabel

Simon Fletcher of the UIC (International Union of Railways which coordinated ILCAD.

Following the speeches, journalists and others attending had the opportunity to watch the EC financed video called “just in time” made for the ILCAD campaign and uploaded free of charge by more than 40 partners worldwide on their website and shown also during press conferences, in train stations and other public areas mainly in Europe

Dominique Bussereau, Secretary of State for Transport, marked the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) held on June 22nd, 2010 by launching a radar based photo enforcement system. This system which is the first of its kind in France has been installed at an active half-barrier level crossing in Lagny-le-Sec, Oise.

The use of a red-light photo-enforcement system is an important weapon in the armoury available for use at level crossings which cannot be eliminated, which remains the primary goal. The French response to level crossing safety issues needs to be seen against the 120 accidents at level crossings which in 2009 claimed the lives of 36 people. This level of harm can, in retrospect, be seen as a generally acceptable level of safety until the impact of the collision between a bus and a train in the Haute-Savoie in 2008 which claimed the lives of seven teenagers.

Since the accident in 2008, a national plan was developed to ensure that each of the 18,459 level crossings in France was either eliminated or appropriately protected. However, given the prevailing level of red light running, it is necessary that radar based photo-enforcement is used to drive home the importance of stopping at level crossings when the lights protecting the crossing require it rather than after the lights have been flashing for a while.

Plans call for the roll-out of the new photo enforcement system to 100 high risk level crossings across France by 2012. Lagny-le-Sec was chosen for the first installation as it is a level crossing with a history that sees it near the top of the list of bad-actor crossings in France. Going forward, breaking barriers and running red lights will not pass without the imposition of a €135 fine and four penalty points on the offender’s driving licence.

(June 22nd, 2010)

Mol, Belgium: Systemic abuse gives photo-enforcement a rich haul

More than 100 motorists a month are now experiencing the consequences of being caught by photo-enforcement cameras at the Statiestraat level crossing in Mol. In every case they have been captured not stopping as required by the lights protecting the barrier equipped level crossing. The cameras were installed in February 2009 to detect all red light offences. Prosecution following a level crossing red light incident can lead to penalties comprising fines of between €220 and €2,700 as well as a suspension of a driving licence for between eight days and five years, depending on the nature of the offence.

Now Infrabel, the Belgian national rail infrastructure manager is calling for photo-enforcement systems to be fitted to all high-risk level crossings in an effort to stamp out systemic abuse of active level crossings across the country. However, further progress wil need road traffic laws amending to ensure that all red-light offences are prosecuted, rather than just those where the motorists speed over the level crossing is 30 kph or more. With more than 200 photo-enforcement systems anticipated to be installed before 2015, Infrabel is preparing to commit €3m to facilitate achieving this strategic aim

(June 22nd, 2010)

Idaho Operation Lifesaver, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Idaho State Police have joined forces to promote safety at level crossings through the provision of free train rides. Using UP traction and vintage rolling stock, the excursions on June 22nd, 2010 provided an opportunity to explain the rules for the safe use of level crossings and why trespassing on the railway so often has fatal consequences.

These train rides formed part of a wider initiative in Coeur d’ Alene to promote safe behaviours at level crossings and along the UP right of way through the city. 

(June 22nd, 2010)

Operation Lifesaver, Norfolk Southern (NS) and local law enforcement agencies have joined forces to raise awareness of the rules for the safe use of level crossings and when appropriate take enforcement action for the misuse of level crossings.

NS operated a special train in the Chillicothe area before moving onto address misuse of level crossings along the Akron – Canton rail corridor. The special train is equipped with cameras so that law enforcement officers, first responders and bus drivers can see misuse of level crossings and trespass as it happens. Where offences were identified from the train, law enforcement officers tracking the train by road intervened.

(June 13th, 2010)

Network Rail, Britain’s national rail infrastructure manager has called on motorists to respect the lights controlling the Shiplake, Oxfordshire, level crossing.

Despite repeated warnings, people continue to misuse the active open crossing, Network Rail said. According to the rail infrastructure manager, there have been 28 reports of dangerous and illegal behaviour at the Shiplake crossing since 2007. These included five near-misses where train drivers have reported a close encounter with their train narrowly avoiding hitting a road vehicle.

Network Rail says that both motorists and pedestrians frequently ignore the warning signs and lights, risking their lives by crossing when the red lights are flashing. Network Rail says that the "true figure" of how many people misused the Shiplake active open level crossing was "likely to be significantly higher" than the number of incidents logged by the railway.

(June 13th, 2010)

Red runner at Shiplake level crossing, source Network Rail

In just two hours; law enforcement officers from Farmington. Rosemount and Dakota County Sheriff’s officers working with Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Operation Lifesaver caught 13 motorists who disregarded red lights displayed at level crossings in Farmington and Rosemount. UP says that County Road 42 in Rosemount is a location where there is a history of barriers being broken by errant motorists seeking to beat the lowering barriers.

While there haven’t been any fatal level crossing accidents recently in Dakota County, the exercise has demonstrated why it is essential to maintain a focus on teaching and enforcing safe behaviours at level crossings.

The special enforcement drive on June 2nd, 2010 was facilitated by UP operating a locomotive as a shuttle to generate extra level crossing closure cycles to maximise the opportunity for enforcement activity.

(June 9th, 2010)

(June 9th, 2010)

ProRail the Dutch national rail infrastructure manager, is deploying surveillance systems normally used to counter terrorist threats to protect the railway. Although usually deployed where vandalism is rife or trespass endemic; they are also deployed in a level crossing context. For example at the Verlengde Lodewijkstraat in Groningen the cameras are being used to counter the systematic abuse of this level crossing by pedestrians who have no respect for lowered barriers. Indeed, the cameras have captured images and thus evidence of those who cross when they should not on both their journeys to work in the morning and return later in the day.

(June 3rd, 2010)

(June 3rd, 2010)

Wem, United Kingdom: Despite high profile initiatives, abuse continues

Notwithstanding the efforts of Network Rail and British Transport Police to educate users and fines handed down by the courts for abuse, motorists continue to run the red lights at the quad-gate equipped level crossing in Wem (LXinfo September 2009). Now the latest batch of five miscreants has been found guilty for their failure to comply with the requirement to stop when red flashing lights are showing. No doubt, this isn’t the last that Market Drayton Magistrates Court will hear from motorist who insist on running the red at what Network Rail says is the sixth most abused level crossing in Great Britain.

(June 3rd, 2010)

Queensland: Plea for care at cane sugar railway crossings

There are hundreds of passive level crossings on Queensland’s cane sugar hauling railways which are operational on a seasonal basis. Each year the start of the sugar cane harvest and the associated presence of trains on the extensive narrow gauge railway system that serves the industry, catches out motorists who are habituated not to expect a train.

It is in this context that operators of cane sugar railway systems make their plea for motorists to be vigilant at all level crossings and to approach them on the basis that they expect to see a train. Traffic police are working with the cane sugar railways to get across the need to approach level crossing with caution and to cross only when they have established that it is safe so to do.

Motorists also need to understand that level crossing offences are the same regardless of whether it is a core Queensland Rail route or a seasonally operated sugar cane railway. If a AU$300 for failing to drive as required when faced with a level crossing on the “big” railway, it also applies on the “little” railways.

(June 3rd, 2010)

Union Pacific (UP) and Kansas Operation Lifesaver have joined forces to get across railway safety messages, including those that relate to the safe use of level crossings by motorists and pedestrians. The centrepiece to the campaign is a special UP train which is used to give free train rides during the course of which Kansas Operation Lifesaver presenters explain how to behave safly when on or about the railway.

The free train rides will take place in Russell, Hays, Ellis, Oakley and Sharon Springs on June 9th, 2010. The train has a capacity to carry 150 citizens at a time and during the course of the journey, images from the head-end camera will be relayed into the passenger accommodation so that passengers can get a driver’s perspective of the route ahead – including any red light runners and trespassers.

(June 1st, 2010)

Police in Moorabbin, Victoria are well aware that there is extensive road user abuse of the North Road level crossing. With multiple offenders each time the level crossing closure sequence initiates, there are plenty of motorists who choose to ignore the requirement to stop when the red flashing lights activate. Indeed a recent exercise identified as many as thirty red runners on a single occasion.

Now that the scale of the issue is abundantly clear there is no excuse that should prevent the taking of converted action to eliminate the temptation to run the red. With a fine of AU$584 for crossing when the red flashing lights are active and legislative provisions which allow for a motor vehicle being seized for this level crossing offence; a high-profile enforcement blitz would go a long way to change behaviours, particularly if repeated randomly several times a year.

(June 1st, 2010)